Notes: We're kind of having issues with these little buggers. As I write, there are three ants crawling on my laptop. YOU GUYS. I PROMISE GALLIFREY IS NOT EDIBLE.

“I’ve come to a decision, Doctor.”

“About what?” He was fiddling with the monitor on the TARDIS console, one hand in his pocket, his attention not entirely present.

“Ants.”

He looked up sharply, eyebrows practically in his hair. “Okay…and what have you decided about ants?”

“They’re aliens.” She shrugged, like this should be common knowledge. Especially to him.

He nodded. “Right. Of course.” He stepped back and settled on the jump seat, his eyes seemingly saying this should be good. “And how, exactly, was this decided?”

“Because they’re so good at invading!” Her arms flew out to the side and she rolled her eyes, every bit the exasperated companion. She leaned back against the console, then frowned and shifted when something jabbed her in the back. “Honestly, Doctor. It’s so obvious.”

He waited a beat, trying to decide how to respond without sounding superior or rude. Although how he was expected to pull off that last bit was completely beyond him. “So…what you’re saying is….'all aliens are good at invading'? Or 'all aliens invade', in general? Because that sounds like a stereotype, Rose Tyler, and I’m trying very hard not to be insulted here.” His voice took on a slight Northern accent out of nowhere and she smiled at the memory of a similar conversation years earlier.

“Okay, that’s not...exactly…what I meant. I can’t help the fact that every cartoon and child’s program about aliens when I was growing up was all about the evil ‘alien menace’ and how they were out to take over the Earth. And what does that sound like? Bugs."

“Welll...you have a point there. But I can promise you that ants aren’t aliens, Rose. They’re just very spectacularly annoying. Like door-to-door salesmen or a randy Yultak.”

Rose didn’t even want to ask about that.

“But,” he continued, “That’s not to say all insects are terrestrial. Bees, for instance. Did you know that a large portion of the bees on Earth actually originated from Melissa Majoria?”

Rose rolled her eyes again and pushed off the console before turning to head down the corridor.

“Now you’re just making fun of me!”

The Doctor shook his head and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Humans are ridiculous."